From Here to Where
by misaditas
Summary: When High Command demand the return of Talyn, Scorpius sets one pilot on the trail of the renegade Crais. But the further Tesan Solis gets from the Peacekeepers, the more she begins to question everything she knows...
1. An Irresistible Challenge

Tesan Solis clambered out of her Prowler and slid down the ladder. Her good mood lasted all of a microt, when she saw Lieutenant Braca approaching her. She was not able to read the expression on the man's face and frowned, though she carefully blanked this as she removed her helmet.

"Officer Solis," he greeted her. "Your mission was a success?"

"Yes sir," Tesan replied, unable to hide the quiet pride she felt from colouring her voice. Braca lifted an eyebrow. She stared back unrepentantly; she _was _good and did not see why she should be embarrassed by her self-confidence.

"Good," he said. "Scorpius wants to see you. He has… something of a challenge for you."

Tesan frowned slightly. "Sir?"

"Don't question orders, Solis," he said, though his tone remained pleasant. "And anyway, I do not want to spoil the surprise."

Thoroughly intrigued, Tesan tucked her helmet under her arm and followed the lieutenant out of the hanger bay. They walked the stark corridors of the Command Carrier to the quarters that Scorpius had claimed some months before. The door slid open and they were admitted.

Tesan found her pace slowed when she saw Scorpius. The half-breed was a stomach-churning mix of Sebacean and Scarren, his tall, thin body covered in armour that made him look very reptilian in appearance. He stood up as she approached his desk, and gave her a smile that froze her blood.

"Ah, Officer Solis," he said. His voice was cultured and silky smooth. Yet for some reason it did nothing to settle her feeling of unease. If anything, it made her even more wary.

"Sir," she replied.

"I believe you are a very accomplished pilot. Is this true?"

"Yes sir. My last rating was 988." Tesan could add that she outranked every other pilot on the Carrier, but chose not to as she knew that Scorpius had to be aware of that fact.

"Very good indeed." The half-breed paced across the room with a contemplative expression and came to stand very close to her side. Tesan felt her skin crawl but kept her gaze stoically ahead. "And you can fly… anything?"

"I believe so sir," she said, and saw him smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"How much do you know about the hybrid project?"

Tesan blinked. "The hybrid? Sir, you mean Crais' project?"

"The very same."

"Not very much sir," she told him honestly. "I was transferred to this Carrier shortly before Crais…" She paused and reconsidered her words. "Shortly before you arrived."

Scorpius smiled tightly. "Even better," he said musingly. He did not elaborate on why that should be and Tesan chose not to ask. "Whilst I continue to pursue the wormhole technology, High Command has expressed an interest in having the hybrid returned to them. This is what I want you to do for me."

Tesan considered the proposal. "You want me to head a Retrieval Squad?" To her surprise Scorpius shook his head.

"Not… exactly. Even with your considerable abilities the fastest vessel in the fleet cannot compete with that of the hybrid." He prowled around her, hands behind his back, and then turned back. "I anticipated this order at the moment former captain Crais went renegade. Thus I have had those involved in the design of the hybrid questioned and recreated the specifications."

It took Tesan a microt to realise what he was implying and then felt a sudden jolt. "You have created a second hybrid?" she asked, somewhat breathlessly.

"Indeed."

"And you want me to pilot it?"

One heavy, gloved hand took her shoulder in a tight grip that made her flinch slightly. "The orders I am about to give you go no further than this room," he said in a low, confiding tone. "Tomorrow you will trial the hybrid. Whilst you are doing that, Lieutenant Braca will find an anomaly on your service record. I will order your immediate return to the Carrier. You shall not obey this order."

Tesan blinked and stared up at him, a cold fear knotting her stomach. "Sir?" she questioned shakily.

"You shall go renegade," Scorpius told her. He released her should and walked over to his desk, picked something up and then came back over to where she stood and held out his hand. A copper-coloured comm badge sat on his palm. "This is automatically scrambled. Use it to contact me on occasion. Your mission is to find Crais and convince him you have fled the Peacekeepers. You are to get yourself into his confidence and discover what plans he has. Then you are to either persuade him to return, or disable the hybrid for collection."

She could barely think, but somehow managed to form one question. "What of my record sir?"

"Upon your successful return, the anomaly shall be found to be an error and removed. You shall be returned to full duty with all honour."

She stared at him and swallowed hard, not needing to ask what would happen if her return was not successful. "Do I have a choice sir?"

"Yes," Scorpius said. This answer surprised and she looked up at him again. "This mission will be long, it will be dangerous. If Crais discovers your duplicity, he will kill you. Therefore I am requesting that you do this, not ordering."

Tesan chewed at her bottom lip. The mission would take some time, and she risked her career. But she had the opportunity to fly something that only one other person had, and she found that prospect far too enticing.

"I'll do it," she said firmly. And then added a belated, "Sir."

Scorpius smiled slightly. "I had little doubt you would refuse the challenge." He took her arm then and led her across the room to his desk. This was covered in reports and he picked one up and handed it to her. "This is the last sighting we received of the hybrid," he told her. "Approximately two weekens ago. Of course, it is unlikely that Crais remained in that section for any period of time. He is a quite brilliant strategist and it might take you some time to trace his movements enough to locate him."

"I see." Tesan lifted the acetate to the light and scanned the details quickly. "By the time I reach these co-ordinates, there'll be nothing of the hybrid's signature left," she mused. "I shall have to rely on sightings. Hearsay. You are right – that will take some time. I gather you do not wish me to simply transmit a message out to Crais."

"No. Do nothing that would reveal your presence to us and so raise his suspicions. You must act as if you are truly renegade."

Tesan nodded slowly, just beginning to realise the extremity of this mission she had accepted. "No other Carriers know of this mission," she surmised. "The only people that will know that I have not gone renegade are yourself and Lieutenant Braca."

"That is the case," Scorpius agreed. Tesan took a breath.

"I may have to defend myself then. And also to contact species that are not classified and for time that might exceed the given parameters." She turned to face Scorpius and met his sunken eyes stonily. "I will require a full pardon for any and all measures I deem it necessary to complete my mission. To be given upon my _successful _return."

Braca made a small shocked sound. Tesan knew she was right at the edge of subordination, but given the fact that in a few arns she would be officially renegade, she did not think it really mattered. Scorpius, however, seemed amused at her minor defiance.

"I have made an excellent choice," he said in a pleased tone. "I have great faith in your ability to achieve a successful return. Such a pardon is granted." He looked at Braca. "Make a note, Lieutenant. I think once Officer Solis secures what we wish her to, that a definite improvement to her career shall be in order."

"I agree sir," Braca said and gave Tesan a curious look of interest. She smiled slightly at him, aware of what that curiosity entailed and wanting to encourage it, not particularly because she wanted to recreate with him, but maintaining a closeness to the power base would see her get further in the ranks still.

"See, even Braca approves." Scorpius smirked and then patted her shoulder. "Return to your current duties. I shall call you when everything is prepared."

"Yes sir," Tesan said quietly and turned away. She could feel their eyes on her as she left the room, but refused to show the nervousness she experienced at the task ahead of her.

Outside she paused and leant against the corridor wall. She was physically shaking, though whether that was facing Scorpius or the mission he'd given her, wasn't clear. She rather suspected it was a combination of the two. Voices sounded further down the passageway and she rapidly pulled herself upright and managed to school her expression to one of calmness before the soldiers rounded the corner. She nodded pleasantly at them and then walked steadily to her own quarters. Once there, she collapsed onto the bed and lay staring sightlessly at the ceiling.

After several microts, she sat slowly and rooted under her bunk for her pack bag. Scorpius had not said anything about whether or not she ought to take anything with her, but she decided that since she would not see her quarters again for monens, then she was not going without taking the few personal possessions she owned.

She tried not to think of leaving everything she knew, but it was impossible not to. The idea terrified her as much as the prospect of flying the hybrid thrilled her. How long it would take her to find Crais she had no idea. She frowned slightly as she thought about him and his defection. Why had he done that? She didn't really know anything beyond Scorpius' cool announcement regarding the situation when he'd taken command. Which had been that Crais had killed his second-in-command, contravened several direct orders and then fled with the hybrid it had taken four cycles to achieve.

It would be helpful to learn more, but Tesan knew that any such questions the night before she disappeared would look very suspicious afterward. She sat heavily and sighed. She thought back to the moment she'd arrived on the Carrier some seven monens before, when Crais had still been captain. She only just recollected him, having seen him just that once when he reviewed the new arrivals. There was nothing from that memory that helped really, just a vague recollection of a man that had seemed highly distracted and wore a very haunted look in his eyes.

Tesan jolted back to herself as a sudden coldness prickled over her skin. She shivered without knowing why, only that she had a bad feeling about this mission.

A _very _bad feeling.


	2. Stepping Out on the Wire

Two – Stepping Out on the Wire

The loud whoop of the shift klaxon roused Tesan from an uneasy sleep. She hauled herself into a sitting position in her bed and listened to the distant sounds of the Carrier as its crew came out of the sleep cycle. It would the last time she heard these noises for some time, so she tried to commit them to memory as much as she could.

After a few moments, she realised that Scorpius would be expecting her, and he was not someone to keep waiting, so she slipped out of the bed to put on trousers and a sleeveless top, before pulling her flightsuit on over the top. She turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

The flightsuit made her look the part, but her dark hair fell about her face and extenuated the paleness of the skin. She pursed her lips and brushed the tresses back and wound them into a neat plait. It helped somewhat, but not overly much as the strain she felt was still apparent in her features. No amount of trying to relax and be calm about what she was about to do actually worked, and she gave up with a sigh.

Tesan picked up her helmet and, with one last glance around the room, activated the door control and stepped out. She closed the door and walked away from everything she knew, heading for the hanger bay and a very uncertain future.

Lieutenant Braca was already in the hanger bay when she arrived, and she went over to him.

"Sir."

"Ah there you are," he replied. "Scorpius shall remain here, to monitor your progress through the trial. The hybrid has already been brought from the rear of the armada and awaits our arrival."

"Yes sir," she murmured.

Braca spun on his heel and boarded the waiting Marauder. Tesan hesitated briefly, and then took a deep breath and followed him. They sat in the rear section as the pilot, to whom she was not introduced, flew them across space to the hybrid. Braca did not offer any more information and Tesan found herself too busy with her own thoughts to break the silence.

There was a muted thump as the Marauder set down. Braca stood up, a bright expression on his face. She managed a wan smile and then turned to exit the vessel.

And then stopped just beyond the hatch.

Her eyes widened as she looked around the hanger of the hybrid. It was like nothing else she had ever seen, with no sign of the harsh lines she was used to. The walls were a dark grey, with arching supports in a deep red. The entire ship seemed to pulse.

"It's… it's _incredible_," she breathed.

"This is nothing," Braca told her. "Come, you ought to see Command."

Tesan followed him quickly, eager to view more of the hybrid. He lead her through twisting passages and then into a huge, oval room dominated by a round structure that descended from the ceiling. She walked forward slowly, trying to take in everything as once, vaguely aware of Braca's amusement at her awe.

She didn't really care – the ship was incredible. Consoles stood at various points, their displays ostensibly Peacekeeper in design. Viewports ran around the front section, giving a wide panorama of the space outside. She touched one console and watched it light up.

"What do you think?" Braca asked her.

Tesan's first response was that she thought maybe Crais wasn't so insane as he had been made out to be, but she didn't think such a statement was appropriate. She smiled broadly.

"He's incredible," she said again.

"She," the lieutenant corrected her. "This ship is a female."

For some reason, Tesan found that fact fitting. "I see. Does she have a name?"

"Only a designation number. Scorpius believes that you should have the honour of naming her, as a sign of good faith."

"Does he now?" she said quietly and looked around again. "A sign of whose good faith? Sir."

"Good faith on both sides of the bargain," Braca replied easily.

"I see." Tesan considered the ship for several microts, but then shook her head. "No," she mused. "I think I need to… know her better before I name her."

Braca chuckled. "As you wish," he said. "The name is not important to Scorpius. Your maintaining contact with him is."

"Do not worry, sir," she replied evenly. "I am fully aware of what my mission is and what Scorpius expects of me."

"Good." The lieutenant looked around at the ship. "We have little idea how well Peacekeeper technology sits with Leviathan, but I am sure you shall be fine. There are some interesting reports that witness the firepower of the one Crais took."

"Talyn," Tesan said softly as she ran a hand over the structure above her.

"Yes," he replied and looked at her oddly. "Well, if everything meets your satisfaction, I shall return to the Carrier. You have the comm badge?"

"Yes sir," she said and unzipped her flightsuit enough so that he could see it pinned to her chest. She looked round again and smiled. "This more than meets my expectations. I think we shall be fine."

"Remember your mission," Braca ordered coldly. She swallowed her smile and nodded soberly.

"Of course, sir," she murmured.

He stood there for a microt longer, just staring at her with a faint frown on his face, before making a disparaging noise and walking out of Command. Tesan went over to the consoles, familiarising herself with them as she waited for her next order.

The distant roar of an engine told her that Lieutenant Braca had left the ship. A nervous excitement filled her. The possibilities presented by the hybrid were endless and she just wanted to get on with finding out what it could do. She rocked back on her heels and then paced across the red and white panelled deck.

"Come on, come on," she muttered under her breath.

"Officer Solis." Scorpius' voice came over the comm, cool and crisp. Tesan jumped slightly and then quickly hit the pin.

"Sir."

"Whenever you are ready."

She rolled her eyes; she'd been ready even since she'd gotten up. "Yes sir," she said, her meek tone at complete odds with the contempt she felt. She went to the navigation console and powered up the engines. A deep, low hum filled Command.

Tesan walked to the centre of Command. "Ship?" she said softly. A musical beep came as the vessel responded, causing her to smile broadly. "All right, let's see what you can do, hm?" She reached up and stroked the structure. "Let's give them a show they won't forget."

The little ship accelerated rapidly, far faster than her Prowler could manage and she felt a thrill at the sensation. The hybrid banked round sharply, the artificial gravity holding Tesan in place and the dampeners reducing the sickening pull she should have experienced to a negligible amount. She laughed aloud as it spun on itself axis in a display of manoeuvrability.

"How is she flying?" Scorpius asked suddenly.

"Very well sir," Tesan said, barely able to keep her tone professional. "Very well indeed."

"You should return now," he said.

For a microt all she felt was the bitter burn of disappointment, but then she realised this was the point to play out what had been planned. She took her hand from the comm and did not respond to Scorpius' order.

The ship bleeped urgently and she turned to see one of the consoles flashing. She went over and saw a tactical display. Several white dots were shown departing the Carrier and heading in her direction. Prowlers. Scorpius was clearly putting on a full performance.

"Now for ours," Tesan murmured softly and entered the co-ordinates of Crais' last known position into the navigational control. "Plot a vector," she ordered the hybrid. It beeped in response and she took a deep breath. "Starburst."

Static crackled through the ship and the hum of the engine increased, building to a crescendo of noise and energy as a bright white light filled Command. Tesan saw the darkness of space directly in front of the ship torn asunder and then there was a rapid jolt of acceleration that made her stumble backwards. The speed was indefinable and the ship rocked violently as it traversed hyperspace.

Then as suddenly as it had started, the hybrid dropped out of Starburst.

Tesan got slowly to her feet and walked to the viewport. The stars were different, the patterns unrecognisable. Shakily she went to navigation, and looked at the readout. There was no sign of the Carrier or the Prowlers.

She let out a small, slightly hysterical laugh – she'd done it. She was metras and metras from any Peacekeeper vessel. All on her own in a section of space she knew next to nothing about. With no back up and no way to return until she had what she had been sent for. The full import of her situation made her feel rather ill.

Going over the navigation display again, Tesan found the co-ordinates she'd been given corresponded to a nearby planet. She grimaced slightly as she contemplated mingling with unclassified species. But if she wanted to return to the Peacekeepers, she needed to find Talyn and secure his return, and had to start somewhere.

It might as well be here.


	3. Picking up the Trail

Three – Picking up the Trail

Violet sand filled the air. It swirled through the marketplace of metal-sided stalls, carried on a fitful breeze. A gust blew it into Tesan's face. It stung her eyes and she blinked back tears as she wished again that she'd had the foresight to bring her helmet. The reason behind the local custom of veils was clear now and, after struggling with the sand for perhaps half an arn, she gave up and parted with a few of her credits in order to purchase a length of gauze. She wrapped this around her head in a style similar to that worn by other women, and then continued her way through the marketplace.

Tesan didn't really know what she was looking for. She had made a few enquiries to some of the stallholders as to whether them had seen an odd-looking ship or served a dark-haired Sebacean male, but apparently no one had seen anything. Now she was wandering between the stalls, eyeing the various goods on offer in an attempt to isolate why Crais might have come here.

So far, she'd not worked that out.

Given the range, which went from food items all the way through to firearms, it could have been anything. Perhaps several things, but she didn't want to question every stallholder. Aside from taking a very long time, that would also bring unwanted attention to herself and she could not afford any news filtering to Crais. Not yet.

She paused by a stall selling a variety of medicines, the card announcing the sale of water purification granules catching her eye. A survival staple, she considered it a good bet that Crais had stopped here. She looked up at the elderly woman behind the stall for a moment, and then stepped over.

"Kin I 'elp you dearie?" the woman asked.

Tesan ignored the irritation she felt at being addressed as 'dearie' and lowered the veil from her face to smile sweetly at the tender. "Perhaps," she said. "I need a portion of the water purification granules and some information."

"I kin do the first, not so sure 'bout the second."

"Well lets do the first then," Tesan said mildly. "How much for a bag of the granules?"

"Five credits dearie. 'Ave you enough?"

"I do, yes." She handed the amount over and took the offered packet, putting it into the bag she had slung over one shoulder. "Do you do much trade in these?" she asked then.

"On occasion," the woman said. Tesan gave her another smile.

"Have you had occasion recently?"

The woman folded her arms. "Now dearie, I kin tell ya what ya want, if ya kin tell me what ya're after. Cos then, I kin tell ya how much it'll cost ya."

"I'm looking for a man," Tesan started and the woman cackled loudly.

"Ain't we all dearie?" the woman laughed. "Ain't we all?"

"A _particular _man," she said firmly. "With an unusual ship. It's black and red and-"

"Ah 'im." The tender frowned and dusted down her apron. "What ya wanna know where 'e is I've no idea."

"Unfinished business," Tesan said quickly. The woman snorted.

"Aye, I bet. Can't tell ya much dearie. Came by some weekens ago, bought a few things and then was off again."

"Do you know where?"

The woman snorted again. "Aye, like I conversed with 'im beyond gitting 'im want 'e needed and gitting rid. Dangerous type 'e were and dun want the likes round 'ere."

Tesan felt a shaft of disappointment and sighed. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. "How long is 'some' weekens?" she asked.

"Over two," the woman told her. "I'd said sixteen, seventeen solar days. Dun remember exactly dearie."

"But no more than seventeen?"

"Definitely not, cos there were a big rainstorm then and it were after that."

"Right." Tesan looked around the market. "Did he go anywhere else? I could really do with knowing roughly where he went."

"I dunno dearie. 'E weren't the kind people wanna talk about seeing, if ya git me meaning."

"I can understand that," she said truthfully.

"But…" The woman looked thoughtful for a microt and then frowned. "Now why dint I remember that before?" she murmured to herself. "'E were after Chakan oil an I dun stock that, what with it being dangerous an all. But ya might wanna 'ave a talk with Jurin, down t'other end of the market. Sells a lot of stuff 'e shouldn't 'e does. Mabbe ya man git what 'e wanted there. And mabbe Jurin knows more than me."

"Maybe," Tesan stared down the rows of stalls in the direction the woman pointed. It was worth a try, as without _some _clue she could look for Crais for cycles and still not find him. "Thank you."

"No problem dearie," the woman said and gave her a toothy smile. "An no charge either."

Repositioning the strap of the bag on her shoulder, Tesan headed down the path through the stalls. The wind whipped at her clothing and she nearly lost her veil. She pulled it tighter and higher up her face as the dust clouded the marketplace.

She considered what she would do if this Jurin did not have any further information. The scans she had run had given nothing to suggest a vector from this planet, which meant that Crais could have gone anywhere. Well perhaps not… she frowned.

It was unlikely that he would head towards Peacekeeper space. His determination to remain a fugitive would suggest he had travelled deeper still into the Uncharted Territories. Tesan did not think it beyond possibility that he would avoid the higher populated planets for fear of recognition.

She stopped dead in the middle of the marketplace. A star map. Frell it all, why had she not thought that earlier? How stupid could she be? Of course he would be after that, or information about the planets in the nearby systems. And where would be the best place for that other than the very place she'd landed her frelling transporter pod at and then walked straight out of without thinking.

Cursing herself as seven kinds of drannit, Tesan decided that she might as well try the weapons stall since she'd walked this far, and stomped the short distance, thoroughly irritated with herself. Her pace slowed when she saw the huge scaled creature behind the display. She did not recognise the species and her distrust was immediate. The thought of irreversible contamination made her stomach churn, but her need for information was greater than the requirement not to corrupt herself. Hand on the grip of her pulse pistol, she stepped up to the stall.

"Are you Jurin?" she asked the creature directly, wanting this encounter over as quickly as possible.

"I am," it replied in a lumbering voice. "What can I do for you?"

"I was told you might have sold Chakan oil to a dark-haired Sebacean male some seventeen solar days ago. Is this information correct?"

Black beady eyes regarded her coldly. "It is."

"And you sold it to him?" It might be worth knowing how well armed Crais was.

"I did. He paid handsomely for it as well, with no arguments. Unusual, which is why I remember."

Tesan wondered vaguely how a renegade Peacekeeper could pay handsomely for anything, but then dismissed the thought - such questions weren't necessary. "Do you remember anything else?" she asked. "Such as if he wanted something you could not provide? Something that might tell me where he went after this planet?"

"Wanted, is he? Doesn't surprise me." Jurin sniffed. "Stank of military bearing. Odd, seeing that kind of man out here and on his own."

"Do you know where he went?" Tesan repeated, an edge creeping into her tone as she felt the burn of frustration again.

"Not… exactly," Jurin replied. "He wanted a stasis gun. There's little market for weapons that don't kill, so I don't stock them. There's a trader that does though, runs a business from the old Tavlek space station just beyond the Nebula. I told him that, but whether he went…" The creature spread its clawed hands out and shrugged.

Tesan nodded, more to herself than the creature in front of her, and again cursed her mistake over the star map. "Thank you for your co-operation," she said and dropped a small handful of credits into Jurin's palm. Then she turned to hurry back to the spaceport.

Now she had another link in the chain. Well, possibly. There was no guarantee that Crais had gone to the space station, but if he were really after a stasis gun, then he most likely had. Tesan frowned. Why a stasis gun when he'd bought Chakan oil? The two did not go together in her mind. She had no doubt he had a reason for his intended purchases, even if she had no idea what that reason was.

"What are you _doing _Crais?" she mused to herself.

She arrived back at the spaceport and entered by the huge workrooms. Sparks flew as various workers repaired various spacecraft. The noise was close to deafening, but at least there was less wind within the walls. Tesan tugged the veil from around her head and then draped it casually about her shoulders.

There were kiosks along one wall, selling parts and other things. Like star maps. Tesan went to the nearest available one and rapped on the counter. A fat, balding Sebacean male waddled over and smiled at her ingratiatingly.

"Can I help you darling?"

Tesan raised an eyebrow. "I need a datachip with this star system on it," she told him. "And the whereabouts of the Tavlek space station."

"Ah yes, I have those." The man grabbed a dirty pot full of rather battered looking chips and rooted through it. He picked one out and peering near-sightedly at the markings. "See? Here, here."

Tesan stared dubiously at the scratched casing. "Will that actually work?"

"Of course!" The man looked affronted. "Full guarantee. Here." He sorted through the mess on the counter and found a projector, and then inserted the chip. After a microt, an image of stars appeared, fuzzy at first but then clearing enough that Tesan could tell which was which.

"Alright," she corrected herself. "So it works. How much?"

"Ten credits."

She winced at the price, but didn't really have a choice and so handed the amount over. The man gave her the datachip and she stowed it carefully away. She left the kiosk and headed across the port to where she'd left the transporter pod.

As she piloted the craft away from the commerce planet, she held the datachip in one hand and then tossed it up, snatching it out of the air with a sudden grin. She'd found one end of the trail – now she just needed to trace the path to the other.


	4. The Next Link in the Chain

Four – The Next Link in the Chain

According to the navigation display it would take three arns at hetch five to travel to the Tavlek space station. Tesan pulled a face and the chip out of the slot on the console. What was she going to do for three arns? She looked round Command. Braca had not exactly given her a tour of the hybrid, so perhaps she ought to get better acquainted with the ship, especially considering she was probably going to be aboard it for some time.

She stepped out of Command and wandered down the passageway. There were few rooms connected, but from what she understood of the development of Leviathans, they grew rooms as required. The most noticeable thing as far as Tesan was concerned was the absence of people. Born and raised on a Carrier, she found the silence distinctly uncomfortable. There were stories, told in the bunk rooms once the lights were turned out, of soldiers that had gotten separated from their regiments for weekens and weekens and had been found driven mad by the lack of contact. She shuddered and pushed such tales out of her mind.

Just down the passageway from Command, she found a door that slid open into a large room that had been fitted out as living quarters, with a low divan covered with several blankets. But there was also a wide console that duplicated the major systems of the hybrid, and clearly marked the room out as being the captain's quarters.

_Her _quarters. The realisation that she had skipped a few ranks, even unofficially, made Tesan smile in pleasure. This was her ship, more so than the Prowler had been, and she felt a sudden pride.

"It's just you and me," she murmured aloud and stroked a hand over the dark red bulkhead. "I suppose I should give you a name." The thing was, Tesan had never had cause to name anything before and it wasn't as easy as she might have thought. She leant against the console and stared at nothing in particular as she considered names.

"Maybe it'll come to me," she said after a moment or two.

She walked over to the bed and sat down, undoing her bootlaces and then toeing them off. Standing again, she stripped off her flightsuit and tossed it one side. She did not see that she would need it again any time soon. Then she sat once more and put her boots back on.

Tesan left her quarters and drifted further down the ship. There were several storage rooms, and she was pleased to see that someone had provided her with some basic provisions. There was also a galley, which took her right back to her cadet days. She wondered if she could remember how to prepare food since it had been a while since then. Peacekeeper survival techniques tended to assume one was still in Peacekeeper space. She thought that was a rather major oversight.

Deep within the hybrid, Tesan found the Starburst Chamber.

She stopped just inside, her eyes wide with surprise as she took in the huge chamber. Unlike the rest of the ship that was shades of red and black and grey, the Starburst Chamber was a bright crystalline blue. It shimmered with energy, the static prickling over Tesan's skin and crackling through her hair. She slipped down onto the glassy-smooth floor and edged to the three prongs that rose to tower over her. They shone with an inner light, drawing and holding her attention. She half lifted a hand, entranced by the play of light, but then she thought of the sheer power needed for Starburst and want that might do to her and drew back quickly.

Tesan left the chamber, shaken. Outside, she leant against the wall of the passageway and took several deep breaths in order to calm herself. A soft chime started, alerting her to their proximity to the Tavlek space station and she pushed off from the wall and walked back up the passageway to Command.

Beyond the transparency of the viewport, nebulous dust swirled in shades in purple and red. At the edge of the nebula, a long cylindrical structure spun slowly on its axis. Tesan crossed Command and stood in front of the viewport to get a better look. The space station had an outer ring, most probably for stability, and there were docking ports dotted around this at regular intervals. However large areas of the ring were battered and the station was definitely no longer in its heyday. In fact it looked like one good sneeze would have the entire structure falling apart.

"Crais!" The male voice sounded cheerful and decidedly drunk. "Get you eema over here. I got the news and there's a raslak here with your name on it." The comm squeaked with feedback and then went dead.

Tesan had not even had chance to respond, but on reflection perhaps that was a good thing – she might not have gotten such a welcome if the man realised she wasn't who he thought she was. She wondered what news he had received, though she deduced it was obviously good as he had celebrating and that it somehow centred around Crais.

She patted one of the consoles and then jogged through the passageways to the hanger bay. She boarded the transporter pod and powered it up. The controls were somewhat alien, but familiar enough that she was able to pilot the craft out of the hanger bay. It felt good to have her hands on flight controls again. Oh the hybrid was fast, but it was different and this… this was immediate and instinctive. This was what she knew.

Tesan flew the transporter across to the space station and drew alongside of the docking ports. She slid the vessel sideward, until there was the soft clunk of the hull contacting the port. A distant click sounded as the clamps locked on. She slipped out of the pilot's seat and headed to the hatch, checking the readout on the panel for oxygen levels before she opened it.

She walked down the spar that connected the ring to the main structure and into a large area that seemed to serve no purpose other than storage for garbage. Stacked metal crates formed aisles through plies of broken parts of alien technology. The light was dim and Tesan wished she'd brought a flashlight. She also realised that she had no idea where she was going.

Pulling her pulse pistol out of the holster on her leg, she edged down the aisle in search of the owner of this place. The aisle opened up and she stopped, slightly taken aback by the sight of a round table that had randomly been placed amongst the garbage. There were several bottles on the table and a couple of chairs placed around it. But there was no sign of the proprietor. She walked over to the table. There was a datachip and she picked it up curiously, wondering whether this held the news that had been mentioned. There was no way of telling, short of placing it in a projector, so she put it down again.

Then froze as something hard pressed into her lower back.

"I might be drunk, but not so much I'd find Crais this attractive," said a low voice roughly. "So. Let's start with what you're doing here."

Tesan stayed very still. "I need some information," she said quietly.

"About?"

"About Crais."

"Do you now? And what exactly is this information?"

"I need to know where he is," she replied honestly.

"Well that's easily answered," the man said. "I don't know. Anything else?"

"What was your bargain with him?"

"Ah now that was makes things trickier." A hand closed over her fingers and removed her pistol from them. Then the man moved in front of her and sat on the table. He was lean, his dark hair shorn very close to his head and there was a mean looking scar that ran from his forehead to his left cheek. The eye was missing, the socket covered by raw, puckered skin. "It's rude to stare," he pointed out flatly.

Tesan dropped her eyes to the floor. "I can pay you for your information," she told him.

"I'm sure you can," the man said, his tone somewhat leering. "But thing is, do I want you to? See, I might not be much of a man, but I do have some honour and I am not convinced telling you won't contravene it. That ship's not the one I think it is, is it?"

"No."

"So you tell me what the deal is, and I'll think about telling you what mine was."

Tesan looked at him. "You do know Crais is a wanted man?" she asked. "He was a Peacekeeper and High Command has demanded his return."

The man stared at her and then gave a bark of a laugh. "And they sent you? Oh that's a good one." He reached out and picked up a bottle, never taking his eyes – or the aim of his pistol – from her. "You don't stand a chance. Mock up of that ship or not."

"It's not like that," she stated then. "Yes they recreated Crais' ship but I was a Prowler pilot. I was testing it for them when… look he's not the only Peacekeeper that's done something that shouldn't. But they find these things out. I had no more inclination to be court-martialled than he did, so I fled. I need to find him because…" She paused and took a breath. "Because he is the only other person that knows the hybrid. I was hoping that he might help me, both with the ship and because I'm now renegade. As he is."

"He won't buy it." The man took a deep draught from the bottle and put it back down, and then picked up the datachip and held it up. "You know what this is?" Tesan shook her head. "It's a datachip that contains details of an attack on the pirates that raid this system. Or should I say _used _to raid. I can't fly anymore, not since the bastards took my eye. So when Crais came by, reporting of being hounded by them, I saw an opportunity. Six frelling ships they sent up and not a one of them returned to base, but I doubt they even had time to miss them, cos he turned their base into one very large crater in the ground."

Tesan was startled and more than a little awed by this. She stared at the man, not certain that he was telling the truth, but he gazed back steadily and with the confidence of someone utterly sure of his facts.

"Six ships?" she asked incredulously.

"And the base." The man tossed the chip towards her. She caught it and then frowned at him. "Check that for yourself, and then decide whether you still reckon you're up for the challenge. If _I _doubt your good intentions, then you can bet your last credit _he _will."

She frowned and glanced down at the datachip in her hand. Braca had warned her of the firepower available to Crais but still… Ignoring the pistol still aimed at her chest, she sank onto the other chair.

"But you paid him to do that," she asserted. "He did it for the credits."

"He did it cos they'd frelled him off," the man returned. "I might not have talked to him much, but I think discovering the PKs knocked off his design will irritate the dren out of him. I think you won't even have chance to draw a breath in your defence."

"I don't have a choice," Tesan said truthfully.

The man shrugged. "It's your death," he replied magnanimously.

"Perhaps. But I still need to know where he went."

"I haven't got a clue. He didn't say and I didn't ask."

"But you expect him back?"

"He didn't collect his payment. But this was over a weeken ago. So no, I don't expect him back."

Tesan sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Since you're so convinced I'm only going to end up dead pursuing this matter, I don't see why you're not more forthcoming."

"I traced him to Khu'Durin." The man grinned at her. "Insurance purposes, though I destroyed all evidence of that bar what's in my head. Though I hear there are ways the PKs can even get to that. But…" He shrugged. "The only reason I'm telling you is because I know he won't be there."

"Well that's not much use to me," Tesan said irritably. "I want to know where he is, not where he isn't."

"The man did me a favour and I won't sell him out. Be satisfied with that." He took another drink. "Oh and one other thing."

"Which is what?"

"Get the frell off my space station before I shoot you."


	5. Shared Experience

The hybrid arched away from the Tavlek space station. Tesan stood in Command, her eyes on the navigational display as the ship headed towards Khu'Durin. She still held the datachip in her right hand; she had not released her grip of it since she'd hurriedly left the space station and the edges of the metal dug into her palm. It would take at least two solar days to reach Khu'Durin, and there was little guarantee that Crais would be there. In fact, according to the merchant, there was none, but she had little choice other than to follow the trail that existed.

Tesan closed her eyes. She had known this would take time, but the sheer scale of her task was only just dawning on her. How was she going to find him? Was it even possible? She suddenly imagined herself old and grey and still looking. A soft groan of despair escaped her. The hybrid chirruped, managing to make the tone sound concerned.

"It's alright," Tesan murmured. "I was just thinking." She looked down at her hand, opening the fingers enough to see the datachip. "Let's see what we're up against hm?"

She slotted the chip into place. The air shimmered with lines that blurred and then collated into a fitful image of a Command not unlike the one she was stood on. The scene shifted to the fore, looking out at the stars and the four vessels that were headed towards the ship. A low voice said "On my mark" in a tone of quiet confidence. Then a bolt of light shot from the ship and eradicated one of the pirate vessels. The others peeled away, going off in different directions. The stars wheeled as the hybrid turned violently in pursuit of one. Tesan watched as it hunted the ships down one by one, giving no quarter, and then arch back round to a planet. Clouds seemed to whip past as it plummeted down through the atmosphere. There was little on the planet apart from the ragged structure of the pirates' base, then Talyn fired and not even that. All that was left was what the man on the space station had said - a large crater in the ground. The hologram shut down automatically as the film finished.

Tesan stared at the space where the image had been, the cold hand of fear gripping her stomach. The whole incident had taken less than a tenth of an arn. Ten macrons to take out four armed ships and an armoured base. She bit her lip, no longer so certain that this mission was a good idea.

"How are we supposed to get close?" she said aloud. "Save for screaming that we surrender and hoping to hezmana he doesn't shoot?"

The ship burbled a response. She petted it distractedly, her mind still replaying the events of the datachip. The hybrid was armed as Talyn was, though her size meant she was not as powerful, and she did have shielding. All Tesan could do was hope that was enough.

"Can you access the datachip and extrapolate the settings Talyn used?" she asked the ship. It made a soft noise of agreement. "Good. Do that – I want as much information on that damned ship as I can get." She wrinkled her nose. "I have a feeling we're going to need it."

She left the hybrid to gain as much data as was possible, slipping off Command and heading to her quarters. Here she took off her boots and then flopped onto the bed. It was fair softer than the bunk that she had spent the thirty cycles of her life so far sleeping in. Rolling onto her back, Tesan contemplated the ceiling and her mission.

The lack of details had not proved too much of a problem so far – she had discovered more of Crais' movements that she had thought she might – but the pace was still frustratingly slow. There was very little for her to actually do aboard the ship. Even if she was capable of tech work and the ship needed it, there were the DRDs to do it for her. Unless they were attacked and the damage taken was too much for the ship… she really ought to name her. Tesan pushed the problem of the renegade Crais out of her mind and concentrated on naming her ship.

She had never owned anything before in her life, except her uniform and flightsuit and she had certainly not called them a name. So it took her several moments to even think of something.

"Lydian?" she said aloud. The ship gave a low grunt and Tesan chuckled. "Don't like that one hm? Alright how about… oh Naset?" Her own name in reverse and not a very good attempt. The ship clearly didn't think so either and grunted again.

Tesan closed her eyes and delved through her memories, finally recalling a friend she'd had as a child, a young girl that had ended up assigned to a different carrier. Some two cycles ago Tesan had read that she'd been lost in an assault against the Scarrens, a recollection that brought Scorpius to mind. She frowned.

"Sora," she said. There was a few microts of silence as this was considered, and then the ship chirped softly. Tesan opened her eyes. "Is that a yes? Do you like Sora?"

The ship chirped again and Tesan smiled.

"Sora, then."

The newly-named Sora burbled cheerfully. Tesan smiled wider, but then her pleasure drained as she remembered the namesake.

"She was a Prowler pilot," she said. Perhaps talking to the ship made her crazy, but not having anyone else to talk to meant there was no one to witness her insanity. "We grew up together. She was a good friend." Tesan trailed a hand over the bulkhead, her eyes blurring somewhat. "A very good friend," she added hoarsely.

Sora chirped softly, the sound almost sad.

_Scarrens_, Tesan thought and found the comm with numb fingers. She had to report in. She cleared her throat and then activated the comm.

"Solis," Scorpius' voice said. "It's about time. What have you discovered so far?"

"I have managed to trace Crais' movements to a space station and possibly to a commerce planet. I am on my way there now."

"What is he doing?" The half-breed sounded genuinely curious. Tesan stared sightlessly at the wall. What was he doing, protecting a crippled merchant from pirates? She didn't know. She didn't know why he'd done that either.

"I have not been able to ascertain any reason for his movements so far," she said truthfully. "If there is any plan to them, then it is not clear. He is avoiding heavily-populated worlds, no doubt because he fears recognition. But there seems to be no pattern to his stops. Perhaps I shall have a better overview once I have visited the commerce planet."

"Very well," Scorpius replied. "Do that. I must say it sounds like you have everything under control. My choice was a good one."

"Thank you sir." Tesan didn't really care for Scorpius' good opinion. That was, after all, the reason she was out in the Uncharted Territories on her own anyway. She glanced up. Well, perhaps not quite alone. "I shall comm you then sir. Solis out."

She took her fingers from the comm and the transmission went dead. She closed her eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling I am nothing more than bait in the trap?" she murmured. "Sora, have you extrapolated those settings yet?" A bright chirp sounded; an affirmative. "Good. Transfer the data to this station then."

It took a microt or so, and then figures scrolled up the screen. Figures that made her mouth go dry and her palms sweat.

"Frell."

The word dropped from her lips and she swallowed hard. She was one of the greatest rated pilots in the Peacekeepers, and yet she knew – knew – that his ability outstripped hers so thoroughly she might as well be a novice.

_Bait_.

Tesan shut off the screen and stumbled on shaking legs to her bed, sat down hard. She thought that it might actually be a good thing that it took her a while to find Crais, because she might have time to get to know her ship the same way he knew his. She had wondered about the link, hadn't she? Well there was what it did, the results she had wanted in cold green figures. The level of it horrified her.

Awed her.

Her gaze shifted and she stared at the chip, still slotted in the console, as her mind ran over what she had read. He just thinks it, she thought, and then tried to deny that what she felt was anything other than jealously. To be bonded in such a way, to have your ship such a part…

"Freller," she whispered harshly. Sora burbled softly, all concern. Tesan shook her head. "It's nothing, Sora. Just… I have no idea how we can match that. I guess… I guess that merchant knew what he was on about hm?"

The ship chirped and then the lights in the room flickered.

"What is it?" More flashing and bleeping. "I… I don't understand. I don't know what you're saying. I…" The lights went out, plunging the room into darkness except for the thin shaft light that streamed through the open door. Tesan frowned and rose to her feet. Went to the doorway. The light overhead dimmed, one further down the corridor brightening. Leading her.

"Alright," she murmured and followed. It soon became apparent that the ship was guiding her towards Command. "I see where you want me." _But not why_, she added silently.

The door to Command slid open and Tesan walked in. None of the consoles were lit up and the lighting was dimmed. A sense of expectation hung in the air, as if the ship was waiting. Tesan wondered what was going on but before she could say anything a small section of the deck had opened up and a metallic arm, not unlike a snake, reached out. Understanding dawning on her, as well as a sudden, irrational fear.

"Oh. Oh Sora, I'm not sure about that." Wasn't this what I had wanted a microt ago? "I… I mean, it's not that I don't want to." Be connected, to be joined, to fly the ship with my mind. "But it's so extreme." Is there a better way of getting on a level with Crais?

Cold flooded Tesan as she stared at the evil-looking device attached to the arm. The Hand of Friendship. A direct interface with Sora. A device that would put the ship and all the systems at her beck and call. She recalled the datachip, its contents, how woefully prepared she was to find Crais. Realised that in all truth that she did not have a real choice in the matter if she wanted to survive.

"Alright."

Her fingers shook as she undid the fastenings of her jacket, dropped the garment onto the floor, and then knelt down with her back to the snaking arm. She took a deep breath and, for a microt, just felt herself as she was, knowing that this would change everything. Then she closed her eyes.

"Sora…"

White pain flared at the back of her neck, swept into her head, burnt through the nerves of her body like an electric shock. And then… and then, as it ebbed oh so slowly away, she became aware of everything – the cold chill of the void against the hull, the faint drag of gravity, the hum and pulse of every system. The power now at her command. It was fearfully and wonderfully beautiful.

Tesan opened her eyes. She had fallen forward and her hands were braced on the floor. Her face was wet with tears of pain and wonderment, the back of her neck wet with blood. The deck swam oddly; she could both see it and the stars beneath – a double vision that made her feel dizzy and nauseous. Sora's consciousness overlaid her own, a part of her and yet distinct at the same time.

"Sora?"

~_Hello Tesan_~

It spoke. The ship spoke to her. The words reverberated around her mind, soft and slightly metallic, along with a flood of various emotions. Warm and welcoming tenderness, joy at the joining, and an almost overwhelming sense of curiosity.

"Frell," she whispered, overcome. "Oh Sora, you are fabulous. This is… it's incredible. Yotz, no wonder Crais is loath to give Talyn up. Who would?"

Even as she said it, Tesan realised the truth of the matter. She knew when she went back to the Peacekeepers that she would have to give this up, and already a part of her rebelled against the very idea. Given how much longer Crais had been a part of Talyn, and vice versa, how much less willing would he be? How much would he defend his right to the connection?

And how could she, now that she shared his experience, dare take it from him?


End file.
